Why one glove?

since i am right handed, i am mostly gripping the club with my left hand. the right hand is really only there for show!(not really for show, but I would estimate that well over 70% of my gripping pressure is in my left hand) :rolleyes:

come to think of it, whenever my hands slip, it is always my leading (left) hand.

i honestly never really thought about it but thats what i first thought of when i read your question, maybe someone else has a more technical explanation but thats all i've got

the only reason people even wear one glove is to protect their hands from being rubbed totally raw (and some because they like the secure feeling when your palms can get sweaty etc.).

and since RH golfers use their left hand as "the motor" and their right hand as the "steering wheel" in the golf swing, it makes much more sense to put a glove on your hand that's going to be absorbing most of the impact, twist, resistance, etc. that causes blisters.

plus, golfers want as much FEEL as possible. and you can't get that from wearing 2 gloves and some (very few) but some golfers really don't like wearing a glove AT ALL.

so you're getting the protection on the hand that needs it the most, but not totally losing all feel by not having a glove on the other hand also.

since i am right handed, i am mostly gripping the club with my left hand. the right hand is really only there for show!(not really for show, but I would estimate that well over 70% of my gripping pressure is in my left hand) :rolleyes:

 

come to think of it, whenever my hands slip, it is always my leading (left) hand.

 

i honestly never really thought about it but thats what i first thought of when i read your question, maybe someone else has a more technical explanation but thats all i've got

Yup pretty much sums it up for me. Gives me a little extra grip for my fingers for that hand. I don't grip the club very tight with my right hand. It's used for feel.

I've tried 2 in hard rain but still didnt like it.

Oh goody, an argument.

Would someone tell Ben Hogan that the right hand is for touch and feel? Without finding the exact quote(s), Hogan considered the right hand the power applicator and wished that he had 3 right hands for more power.

Oh goody, an argument.

 

Would someone tell Ben Hogan that the right hand is for touch and feel? Without finding the exact quote(s), Hogan considered the right hand the power applicator and wished that he had 3 right hands for more power.

I could be wrong here but I thought I read (recently, in fact) that Nicklaus also said he drives with the right side. The discussion was around that giving the power into the shot and again maybe remembering wrong btu I think it also said that was a great way to get draw on the ball.

by the way......I loved your opening line....cracked me up!

I wear one for blister protection only....cords can do a number on a unprotected hand.

This topic reminds me of the golf cleat debate...we don't really need spikes either, the only time I can see they are a must is when the course has the morning dew down.

Oh goody, an argument.

 

Would someone tell Ben Hogan that the right hand is for touch and feel? Without finding the exact quote(s), Hogan considered the right hand the power applicator and wished that he had 3 right hands for more power.

Ben Hogan could care less about this argument...the man never wore a glove anyway.

and whether the right hand is the "power applicator" or not, it's simply not the hand that tends to get blisters during the golf swing.

end of argument

I think that the real reason why most golfers wear one glove is that's how its always been. I'm sure that if our golfing forefathers had worn 2 gloves then we would be wearing 2 gloves today and not think twice about it.

Last time I saw a man with 2 gloves he was driving a white Bronco...

Last time I saw a man with 2 gloves he was driving a white Bronco...

LOL

I do wear 'weather' gloves during the winter. If it's below 40* with any kind of windchill factor but thats about it. Just doesnt feel natural to me at all but better then having numb fingers.

Let's not overcomplicate things. You're swinging a stick. I seriously doubt anyone, any pro knows which hand does what. I believe that Hogan thought that his left hip turned straight back until he realized that it moved laterally quite a bit. Do what you have to do so the club does not slip and you don't get blisters.

I have been messing around with 2 gloves ever since I bought a righty by mistake. It's not bad.

Because Micheal Jackson wears one glove :rolleyes:

Oh goody, an argument.

 

Would someone tell Ben Hogan that the right hand is for touch and feel? Without finding the exact quote(s), Hogan considered the right hand the power applicator and wished that he had 3 right hands for more power.

 

Ben Hogan could care less about this argument...the man never wore a glove anyway.

 

and whether the right hand is the "power applicator" or not, it's simply not the hand that tends to get blisters during the golf swing.

 

end of argument

 

x2.

 

If you want a technical explanation, measure the square millimeters of flesh in contact with the grip.

 

The left hand is gripping the club completely - parts of all four fingers are touching the top of it, and the bottom of it runs along almost the entire length of the top of the palm.

 

The right hand? Unless you are using a baseball grip (or don't know how to grip a club correctly), it is generally only one section of three fingers, and the top of the thumb, that are even in contact with the grip. Even if you play with a strong right hand, most of the palm of the right hand is on the thumb of the left hand, not in contact with the grip itself.

 

I play traditional - left hand power, right hand steering wheel - and pretty much none of my right palm touches the grip. Its held in my fingers - and I want real sensitivity on those fingers (because it is the steering wheel).

 

That's the explanation. But in practice it is much simpler: When I don't wear any glove - I do get blisters on my left hand, and do not get any on my right hand. When it is very hot and humid, and sweat is an issue, it is always the left hand that slips (since it is responsible for 3/4 of the surface contact between man and club), not the right.

 

So I wear a glove on my left hand. And this will be the case for pretty much everyone that uses the basic Vardon overlap grip.

 

Golf gloves are pure function. The downside is that they most definately do decrease sensitivity (which is why probably upwards of 99% of the pros use no gloves for putting - and many take their glove off for wedges and chipping). The upside is that they both provide a far more solid connection to the club if there is any sweat at all, and they stop the palm from getting blisters.

 

So for me (and pretty much the vast majority of the golfing world) a glove on the left hands adds more than it takes away, and a glove on the right hand takes away more than it adds. The convention is based on pure utilitarianism.

 

I do know the outliers on the bell curve. I have a few friends that don't wear a a glove at all - but for me? I've played (for instance) in South Florida summers - where the combination of 95 degree heat, 100% humidity, and a corded grip literally ripped the s*** out of my left hand the one time I played with no glove (I mean, like it was flipping bleeding). But anything other than a corded grip would have gone flying out of my hands.

 

I also have a couple of friends that wear two gloves (though they are actually a bit rarer than the no-glove group). I have also experienced this (if you want to play golf in Ireland or Scotland, you don't stay home if its going to rain - or you'll never play golf). But I definately felt the decrease in sensitivity and touch. Further, if the weather was good, the thought of taking two gloves off on every green, and putting them back on for the next tee box (when the second glove didn't really add any value) would seem needless.

 

Really? When pretty much 95% of the golfing world (pro and amateur combined) and probably 99% of the pro tour has settled on a convention, there's likely a very solid, functinal reason for it.

OK, I buy it. I hope my scores improve as I switch to one glove and remove it for putting and chipping.

Honestly i agree with you. I am a hockey player by trade and if I only wore one glove in hockey my hand would have some serious trauma to it. Not because of the obvious slashing but more or less because of the trauma suffered from the impact of the stick.

But to avoid being made fun of I tape my right ring finger and some times my middle finger to decrease the rub...

For me, the starting point would be no glove on either hand. However, it works better for me to wear a glove on the left hand. Why? In addition to what has been said about using a glove on the left hand to avoid blisters and enhance the grip of the left hand, there is another way that I look at it/feel it.

My right hand is gripping both the club and my left hand (with an overlap grip). I do not like the feel of skin-on-skin contact (well, at least not in my golf grip). When I wear a glove, my right hand is gripping a leather glove and a rubber grip. There is no skin-to-skin rubbing; no chafing; no slipping due to sweaty hands.

So, wearing a glove on my left hand has the added benefit of helping my right hand to grip better, too. Yes, I could wear a glove on my right hand, but it is not necessary.

I don't want to have to take off a glove when I make a stop in the bushes.

Like most righties, I wear one glove on my left hand. Never thought about the mechanics of it, but if you're wondering why this is the norm, try shooting a round of 18 with no gloves. I've done it a few times, and every time, by the end, my left hand is pretty raw, while my right is not at all. That is why I wear one, and don't feel the need for two.

(edit: like most things...if you were to go no-gloves frequently, you'd get used to it, i.e. get callouses, and never need any glove(s))

Let's not overcomplicate things. You're swinging a stick. I seriously doubt anyone, any pro knows which hand does what.

Oh lord, I really hope that was a joke.

i'll give you that, lahinchnsnglmalt. but you said pros. you cant really think tiger woods doesnt know what his hands are doing and the purposes and results of doing so.

i'll give you that, lahinchnsnglmalt. but you said pros. you cant really think tiger woods doesnt know what his hands are doing and the purposes and results of doing so.

Sorry, Marrrk. You replied to a post that I deleted in which I said that there is alot of contradiction as far as how the golf swing is analyzed.

The thing about pros is that they might be the worst at describing what they are doing. That is why I used the Hogan hip example.

i'll give you that, lahinchnsnglmalt. but you said pros. you cant really think tiger woods doesnt know what his hands are doing and the purposes and results of doing so.

 

Sorry, Marrrk. You replied to a post that I deleted in which I said that there is alot of contradiction as far as how the golf swing is analyzed.

 

The thing about pros is that they might be the worst at describing what they are doing. That is why I used the Hogan hip example.

ah, touche.

cant say i agree with you as far as it relates to the glove discussion but thanks for clarifying your points.

OK, empirical stuff for me.

I tried the one glove, left (I am right handed), today. I sweat like a pig, especially in the 90+ temps here in NC. No control over my irons, just slip sliding away....

I have to use 2 gloves...

Just me...

Not recommending it for anyone else...

I recognize that my situation is in the minority, perhaps an anomaly...

OK, empirical stuff for me.

 

I tried the one glove, left (I am right handed), today. I sweat like a pig, especially in the 90+ temps here in NC. No control over my irons, just slip sliding away....

 

I have to use 2 gloves...

 

Just me...

 

Not recommending it for anyone else...

 

I recognize that my situation is in the minority, perhaps an anomaly...

Well, if two gloves works, then go with it. But alternatively, cord grips would probably solve your problem -- they exist for your exact situation (well, that and rain, I guess).

Bingo...It was probably a financial thing back in the day where gloves were expensive and so most realized that they could get away with only wearing one...or maybe a situation where a right hand glove wasn't even available because most golfers are right handed. Old topic but I am bumping it as it was on my mind lately as I had a guy on the course ask me why I wore two gloves. I said because I am bottom hand dominant and why wouldn't I want both hands to aid in holding the club. Rain gloves are sold and worn in pairs and no one bats an eye or looks at that person like they are an alien species !! Two gloves for life !!

I tried using some rain gloves in a pretty big downpour, kind of felt weird. Then I realized my playing partner was still wearing no gloves... went back to one.

No gloves for me, used them the first year I played on the RH.

Next year, I had no glove and the pro shop didn't have my size (small remote town).

After playing for a month without I never gave gloves a second thought.

Also saw Fred Couples about this time without gloves, so I figured with that swing who am I to argue?

I love when it rains so I can break out my Nike rain gloves. For some reason I feel like I have the ultimate control when those are on in the rain. They get so sticky. My stepdad and buddy are both lefties and neither of them use a glove. My other lefty uses a glove.

I always wear two gloves. I wore one until I got into competitive long driving and then the training for that was literally rubbing my hands bloody, plus I played baseball my whole life so two gloves just seemed natural when I tried it. Now I can't go back though. It's so much better IMO! I never have blisters and honestly I feel like I have much better control of the club. I even putt with both on because I'm just so used to having two gloves on the club at this point. And I really don't buy the argument that you have more "feel" with one glove...you're moving a club at 100mph...are you really using feel in your fingers as you strike the ball, or is it more about how smooth and repeatable your stroke is while maintaining firm connection to your hands?

Two glove it up my man!!

Former baseball player also and always wondered why people only wear one glove! I also agree that golf isn't a delicate action so dexterity and sensitivity in the fingers is not going to be hampered by wearing gloves nor degrade performance as feel is not even transmitted to the golfer until after the ball is struck. I used to take my gloves off for all shots inside 50 yards and now I keep them on the whole time as I found that those shots actually improved with them on. To each his or her on but I guess I would say just don't knock it til you try it.